


A Not-So-Obvious Explanation

by orphan_account



Series: A Not-So-Obvious Explanation Series [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bisexual Sirius Black, Dirty Talk, Feels, Friends to Lovers, Hogwarts Era, Jealousy, M/M, MWPP, Marauders' Era, Overuse of italics, Person of Color James Potter, Porn with Feelings, Threesome - M/M/M, but i just love italics dude, description of scars, wolfstarbucks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2019-03-18 03:25:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13673277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Remus wasn’t content with simply rocking the boat. Apparently, he wanted to flip the boat over and drown them all.(James is Not Happy with the new development in Moony and Padfoot's friendship. Remus helps him figure out why).





	1. Not Jealous

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at writing this type of story, so don't judge it too harshly! It's more for practice than an audience, but if you're reading, I hope you enjoy it anyway. <3

James wasn’t jealous. That would be ridiculous.

He loved his friends and the tight bond they had settled into. _Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs._ Together they were the Marauders, and James liked it that way. Only, there was a slight problem.

Sirius was his _best_ mate. Everyone knew it. The Marauders were important, but so was JamesandSirius, one word, no separation, a universally respected and acknowledged bond. Moony had obviously forgotten this. 

James’s rebellious streak prevented him from entertaining the idea of “rules” within their friend group, but there were certain roles each one of them played. James and Sirius were the troublemakers, partners in crime. The term "brothers" didn't sit quite right with him for some reason, but he supposed they were, in a sense. Thick as thieves, the two of them, but that didn't mean Remus and Peter were outsiders. They all had a part to play. Peter was a good ally, willing to sneak into the kitchens for provisions in the middle of the night, and a good laugh when given the opportunity. He was a helpful sidekick, though Sirius would always pout when James or Remus paid any attention to Peter for an extended period of time, claiming he was much better company than Wormtail. It was rather amusing in James's opinion, but Remus would fix him with a disapproving look and tell him not to encourage that kind of behavior in Padfoot. He was a dirty hypocrite though, always telling Sirius he was a "good dog" after stealing James's chocolate frogs, so who was _really_ encouraging bad behavior in this group? Sharing the winnings with Moony does not make it okay! 

Remus's recent deviation from his typical role was not okay either. James was used to Remus being the voice of reason. This was not always a bad thing. Moony had saved them from countless detentions, and once he had accepted that he couldn't stop James and Sirius from mischief-making, he had become somewhat of a secret weapon. The voice of reason pinpointed the flaws in every prank and told them how they could _actually_ get away with it. The voice of reason always had a better spell in mind for pranking Slytherins. _If you're going to do it, do it right._ Remus pretended not to approve, but he obviously experienced the same rush of adrenaline the rest of them did when they pulled off a rather spectacular prank. Maybe he studied too much and refused to play Truth or Dare, but those were endearing qualities. This was the first time James had a real problem with Moony, and he didn't like it.

Remus was beginning to threaten the established parameters of their friendships, and James was growing increasingly irritated with him for it. It wasn’t that he didn’t _like_ Moony anymore, or wanted to get rid of him. James had become an animagus for him, for Circe’s sake, and it was impossible not to admire Remus’s sense of loyalty, his intelligence, or his surprisingly diabolical tendencies. (He was a Marauder, after all). James didn’t want him to leave or stop hanging out with them. He only wanted Moony to _back off_ a little, before he completely upended the entire group dynamic.

See, he knew about Remus’s crush on Sirius. Everyone did, except for Sirius himself. It was harmless and sort of cute, though Moony would probably hex his ears off for saying so. In fact, James had grown so used to Remus’s infatuation with his best mate that it had completely dropped off his radar, that is, until Sirius started looking back.

-

The sudden change nearly gave James whiplash. He couldn’t believe how little time it took for Sirius to develop such strong feelings for Remus, rapidly moving from quiet curiosity to interest, and on to blatant want as the weeks passed. The whole thing was making him nervous, and even though James could count on Sirius to remain oblivious to the mutual nature of his crush, he was certain that Moony had catalogued the change between them and recognized that his affections were now returned. Thankfully, he hadn’t made a move, but that didn’t mollify James. It was only a matter of time until Sirius found out about Remus’s crush, and once that wheel was set into motion, James would be powerless to stop it. After all, Sirius always got what he wanted, and right now he wanted Moony.

And once those two shacked up, James would be on the outside. He was sure of it.

As the days passed, James could tell that Moony was getting braver. Seeing Sirius play with Remus’s hair and rest his head on his shoulder was no real cause for concern. Sirius had always done that. Hell, he did that with _James_ just as often. Seeing Remus, on the other hand, begin to reciprocate, was causing tiny alarm bells to go off in his head, because while Padfoot had always been a tactile person, Moony definitely wasn’t. _Until now,_ he thought bitterly.

To make matters worse, Sirius had begun to notice the shift too. Clearly, he was suspicious of Moony’s sudden willingness to touch him, as Remus had always tended to complain when Sirius got overly handsy. Moony wasn’t complaining now; he was even reciprocating. James scowled at his newfound boldness. Remus had always aimed for subtlety in matters such as these. He was never successful enough to hide his affections for Sirius from the rest of the school, but it was enough for Sirius to remain unaware. Unfortunately for James, Remus must have decided that being dreadfully obvious was the only way to get the message through Padfoot’s thick skull, a decision that ultimately led to The Incident in the common room and James's consequent unraveling.

On the day in question, Remus was studying for his Potions exam, occasionally shushing James and Peter, when Sirius finally managed to put the pieces together. James had already been wary when Sirius plopped down next to Moony on the sofa, but the chain of events that followed firmly lodged a swirling ball of anxiety in his gut that refused to dissipate. Padfoot had thrown his legs over Remus’s lap, the back of his knees resting against Moony’s thigh. A week ago, Remus would have shoved his legs away and grumbled something like, “get off me, you oaf,” but Bold Remus was another creature entirely. Moony didn’t even flinch, just sat his book on Sirius’s legs like a makeshift table and kept studying. James was petulant over the pleased expression lighting up Sirius’s face, but Remus wasn’t content with simply rocking the boat. Apparently, he wanted to flip the boat over and drown them all because he kept one hand on his book and let the other drift a few inches above Padfoot’s knee. James could hardly believe it, and Sirius seemed just as surprised.

 _Don’t look at him. Don’t look at him!_ but it was too late. Sirius already had, and he saw the incriminating blush clouding Remus’s cheeks. James watched in horror as Sirius pulled one of his signature moves, stretching his arms above his head and revealing a sliver of pale skin where his shirt had ridden up. He watched Moony carefully. Sure enough, Remus had stared a beat too long, and Sirius’s suspicions were confirmed.

His victorious smirk sparked something anxious and hot in James’s gut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter should be posted sometime this week. (I have parts of it written. I just need to put it together.)


	2. Remus Understands

Sirius would make a move soon. He wasn’t one to think things through. That was Moony’s job, and James was a bit peeved that he had suddenly abandoned that role. Desperate for commiseration, James even asked Peter what he thought of Sirius and Remus together. He just shrugged, _shrugged!_ and said, “whatever makes them happy.” Was James the only sane person left in the Marauders? What was Remus thinking anyway? Was shagging Sirius really worth risking their friendship, risking the group? What if they didn’t work out, and things were awkward? What if they _did_ work out, and the both of them disappeared to honeymoon island, leaving James behind? It was too risky. He had to put a stop to this madness.

It was going to happen tonight. He could tell, because Sirius had made an effort in his appearance, which he never did, as he usually relied on his naturally good looks to land him any bird or bloke he wanted. This had to be for Remus, and Moony must have had some idea of where the night was heading as well, if his perpetual blush was anything to go by. The intervention had to happen soon.

-

In the midst of his planning, James hit a snag, and without thinking, he called for Moony over his shoulder, purely out of habit. He immediately tensed. James had grown accustomed to asking Remus for help when hammering out the finer details of his plots, but this time was different. Moony was the victim now. When no answer was forthcoming, his shoulders relaxed. He must have sneaked off to the library for some peace and quiet. A strange sense of loneliness washed over James. Sirius's absence was already unsettling enough. It felt strange to scheme without his best mate by his side, egging him on. He could convince Wormtail to help him, but he would ask too many questions. James wasn't too keen on seeing Peter's knowing look directed at him. James wasn't sure what Peter _thought_ he knew, but any further analysis made his stomach twist uncomfortably. Best to go it alone then.

As he left the common room, James tried not to dwell on the faults in his plans to keep Padfoot and Moony apart. Instead, he focused on carrying out his first scheme. Remus would be leaving his last class of the day soon, likely half asleep if Binns was still droning on as usual. He patted the potion in his robes' pocket affectionately and pulled out his ever-so-helpful bit of charmed parchment. Thanks to the Marauder’s Map, James could time the explosion for when Remus rounded the corner, with the knowledge that McGonagall was approaching from the opposite end of the hall, just in time to see the explosion covering the walls, floor, and James, in a thick, pink goop. All was going according to plan, James thought victoriously, as Moony stood next to him, dripping in slime and standing close enough to James to appear equally guilty. He couldn't help but grin as Dear Minerva began doling out punishments.

-

James waited for his scolding as they wrote lines in detention. He felt somewhat guilty for getting Remus in trouble, but desperate times call for desperate measures. He was secretly pleased. His plan had worked, though it wasn’t a permanent fix. Sirius would be relentless from now on.

“I can’t believe you dragged me down with you!” Remus finally snapped, startling him a bit, even though he had been expecting it. To be honest, Moony's scathing glare was no match for the relief he felt. McGonagall had sent them to the Potions classroom immediately after the incident in the hallway. _No time for Moony to run back to Sirius and profess his undying love._

He could feel Remus eyeing him in a way that made his skin itch. After a long, silent moment, Moony set his quill down on the table and turned his body to face James more directly. He gulped, hand tightening around his own quill nervously.

“Alright. What’s going on?”

Remus had his serious voice on. James was slightly afraid, but he tried for nonchalance, allowing only a pause in his writing before replying. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve been acting weird.”

James pressed one hand down hard on his knee to keep his leg from bouncing anxiously. He was at a cross-roads. He could lie, make up some weak excuse for his recent behavior, but that meant standing idly by as Moony and Padfoot fell into each other's arms. He may never get this chance again, but there were risks involved with telling the truth, namely the possibility of incurring Moony's wrath. Remus had a particular talent for hexes. _You're a bloody Gryffindor, Prongs! Just tell him!_

“I want you to stop this thing with Sirius.”

Merlin, it felt good to say that out loud, even if the weight lifted off his shoulders was only temporary. His eyes shifted uneasily to Moony, who seemed content to let James's admission hang in the air. When he finally spoke, his voice was inscrutable, but James saw his fingers twitch briefly on the desk. Fidgeting with his quill, brow furrowed in confusion, James wondered how long he'd been staring at Remus's hands.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

James gritted his teeth at the faux-nonchalance, momentarily irritated that it was more convincing than James's attempt at indifference. They were never going to get anywhere like this.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about!" James threw his quill down, spattering ink across his parchment and pointing an accusatory finger at Remus. "Sirius doesn’t have enough sense or self-control to end this, but you do." He struggled to reign himself in, avoiding Moony's startled expression. "It’s for the good of the group.”

“Prongs," Remus began. James squirmed uncomfortably at something in Moony's voice. The pause felt like an eternity. "Are you _jealous?_ ”

James's mouth dropped open, trembling slightly when he whipped around to face Remus directly. “Of course not! Why would I be jealous?”

He forced as much incredulity as possible into his voice. He wasn't jealous, for Merlin's sake! What was there to be jealous about? Padfoot would always be his best mate, even if he started snogging Moony all over the bloody castle. His sole concern was the group and the balance of the Marauders. Why was that so difficult for everyone to understand? It still baffled him that Remus was willing to risk it, even if a small part of him understood. After all, Sirius was exceptionally good-looking, objectively speaking. Maybe Remus had a thing for his soft, unblemished skin or the sharp line of his jaw. Those were things, James supposed, that one could appreciate about Padfoot if they were into blokes, which James definitely _wasn't._

Even more baffling was Sirius's interest in Remus. His willingness to throw caution to the wind was nothing new, but why _Moony_ of all people? What was so tempting about him? James hadn't really considered it before, but he wracked his brain for a possible explanation. He was entirely too tall, even taller than James, which was just ridiculous, even if it was sort of nice to be more level with someone he spoke, instead of having to look down all the time. Still, Moony was too thin, though he had packed on a bit of muscle over the Summer, now that James thought about it. Perhaps Sirius liked his smile, not the typical amused quirk of his lips, but his all-teeth smile that sent a swirling rush of pride through James when he managed to force it out of him. His teeth would glint in the light, appearing slightly predatory in a way that wasn't exactly unpleasant...

Remus shook him from his thoughts with a rather alarming statement.

“I’ve seen the way you look at him, Prongs. I’m not the only one who’s obvious.”

James was distantly aware that Moony was expecting this reaction, that it only made him appear more guilty, but he couldn't help it. A hot, tingly feeling full of embarrassment and indignation flooded through him, and he blushed dark red, a difficult feat when one factored in the darkness of his skin. Sputtering, he rushed to defend himself. “That’s ridiculous! You know damn well I’m completely mad for Lily Evans!”

James was infuriated by that all-too-familiar eye roll. This was serious, dammit! Moony couldn't just throw these sorts of accusations around. He was straight. He was in love with a _girl._ What more of a defense did he need?

“Yes, I know, and if she ever warms up to you, I’m sure you’ll go riding off into the sunset together, but be honest. You’ve always had sort of a thing for him, haven’t you?”

James didn’t know what to say. Remus was completely off the mark! Wasn’t he?

Remus lowered his voice. “He told me about that night, you know, your little wanking fest.”

James froze momentarily, before moving on to frantic denial. “That’s not- we didn’t even touch each other! The dorm was empty, and we were both already- you know- in our own beds, and we could hear each other. We just thought- I don’t know- if we were going to do _that,_ we might as well do it in front of each other.”

Admittedly, it sounded bad when he said it out loud, but Remus just didn’t understand. JamesandSirius were different. They were used to sharing everything, and wanking was no different. He thought back to that lazy afternoon when he thought he was alone in the dorm. He had just woken up from a rather interesting nap and decided to take advantage of his solitude. Only, the dorm hadn't been empty. Sirius was there.

> James nearly fell off the bed when he heard an almost strangled laugh to his left.
> 
> _Prongs, you sound like a dying cat._
> 
> James froze, trying to even his voice. _P-Padfoot, I didn't know you were here._
> 
> Sirius snickered. _Clearly._
> 
> _I was just-_
> 
> _Wanking?_ He waited a beat. _Me too._
> 
> James sucked in a sharp breath and heard feet hit the floor. It occurred to him somewhat belatedly that he should take his hand off his cock when Sirius suddenly ripped open his curtains with a wicked grin.

The events that followed seemed to occur naturally. Sirius had issued an unspoken challenge when he sat down next to James, naked as the day he was born, and raised an expectant eyebrow. Remus was implying something more, but it wasn't _like that._ It was easy, friendly. It hadn’t been romantic or weird at all. It had actually been one of the best orgasms he’d ever had- _shit._

Remus seemed willing to ignore James’s sudden internal meltdown.

Fixing him with a knowing look, Moony said firmly, “No completely straight guy would agree to that, Prongs.”

Remus was wrong, right? He had to be. He ran a hand through his hair nervously, trying to gather his thoughts. So what, if brief flashes of Sirius’s mouth and elegant hands wound their way into his mind when he wanked? Ultimately, it was the thought of Lily that always did him in, so what was the big deal?

Moony continued on, either unaware or unconcerned with James's mental crisis. “Sirius had come back to the common room looking so well-fucked, I thought you’d finally given in and buggered him against the shower wall or something," James let out a surprised squeak that Remus thankfully ignored. "but no. He told me everything, in great detail." James's heart was beating so fast. Maybe he needed a healer. He briefly considered passing out, just to make Remus _stop talking._

Moony adopted a dreamy expression and an exaggerated lilt that was surprisingly close to Sirius's actual voice. James took a moment to be reluctantly impressed before promptly choking on his own spit when Remus's words hit him.

_"You should have seen his cock, Moony. Brilliant.”_

"He did not say that."

Maybe if James repeated that enough in his head, he could convince himself. His fingers dug into his thigh as a dangerous thought floated into his consciousness. Did he really want to convince himself of Sirius's purely platonic feelings toward him? It was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore that little voice in the back of his head that James often shoved aside and blamed on natural curiosity, the part of him that was eager to believe Remus. In the privacy of his own mind, he could admit that the thought of Sirius being interested in him was incredibly thrilling.

Remus sighed, aiming for 'exasperated,' but not quite pulling it off. "He did, went on and on. I couldn't get him to shut up about it."

James could detect a hint of irritation in his voice, but also an undercurrent of...curiosity, maybe? Interest? James couldn't tell, but it was making him shift in his chair uneasily. He wiped his hands on his robes to remove some of the sweat that had accumulated there over the course of their conversation. Remus was looking at him a little too intently, his teeth occasionally worrying over his bottom lip. Moony had a tendency to bite his lip, he thought absentmindedly, then _not-so-absentmindedly._ He watched Remus's teeth tug at the now-red flesh, surprised by how familiar the sight was to him. How often did he stare at Moony's mouth?

An unmistakable heat was curling in his gut as his brain flashed with snippets of Remus and Sirius. It felt oddly similar to a pensieve, in that he could only sit back helplessly as the images flooded his mind. He wished Remus had kept his mouth shut and left him in blissful ignorance because now he could only think of Sirius's cock, thick and hard, his hand slick with come while he panted next to James on the bed. He could only think of Remus's hand clapping him on the shoulder after a Quidditch match, the warm, solid weight of it and his long fingers briefly skimming over his shirt. Sirius's glossy, black hair resting just above his collarbones, drawing attention to the smooth, pale skin there, Remus's mouth around a sugar quill, Sirius's _arse_ when he bent down to rifle through Peter's trunk yesterday, it was all swirling around in his head. Merlin, straight men did _not_ think like this. James felt his stomach drop.

And now the thought of Sirius and Remus together was rapidly moving past ‘somewhat horrifying, but intriguing’ to a more fitting label of ‘fucking hot.’

James wondered whether he should drown himself in the lake or let the giant squid have him.

Remus spoke to him carefully, as if he half-expected James to bolt. This was the first time since they sat down in detention that Remus sounded unsure. It lulled him into a false sense of security before the question actually registered in his brain.

“James..are you hard?”

All the breath rushed out of his lungs, and he wanted to die because he _was_. Remus was so close to him, whispering like that. It was making it so much worse.

“Yeah, I-" His voice broke off as he struggled to get his body under control. _Damn him for being so perceptive!_ "Fuck, Moony, I-”

Gentle hands tilted his jaw to face Remus, “I know.” and bloody hell, Remus was kissing him, right there in detention. He couldn’t breathe. His eyes were still open, refusing to believe this was really happening, even as he catalogued the light smattering of freckles on Remus’s skin that made him dizzy when he tried to focus his eyes on them.

Then one of those gentle hands on his jaw wound into his hair and tugged not-so-gently, making his mouth fall open in surprise, with enough time for Remus to slide his tongue in and effectively erase every thought in his mind. Why had he been angry earlier? Moony was brilliant. Moony was perfect. Moony _fancied Sirius._ He pulled back reluctantly.

“I thought you fancied Sirius. Why would you-”

Another important tidbit of information suddenly darted back to the forefront of his mind. Sirius was rather enamored with Remus, and Merlin's balls, Sirius was going to beat him to a bloody pulp if he found out about this.

“I do fancy Sirius, and I think he might feel the same.”

Remus sounded genuinely shy, but James was learning not to trust it for too long. Before he knew it, Moony would be back to saying wicked things and causing his pulse to jump out of his throat. Still, he rushed to reassure him. James nodded in confirmation, even though he still hadn't decided whether or not he approved of Sirius and Remus together. His cock definitely approved of their potential coupling, but James was still wary of this whole _love and romance_ business and how he would or would not fit into it.

Ultimately, he was glad he confirmed the existence of Sirius's crush on Moony because it made Remus grin wide and plant another quick kiss on his lips.

"Padfoot and I may fancy each other, but I'm not stupid, Prongs. I know you two have this tension between you. I think it's in everyone's best interest if I help it along."

James pulled him in for a proper snog. Perfect, practical Moony. Why had he been worried in the first place? Remus understood, and that knowledge was almost as dizzying as the tongue in his mouth. Remus's lips parted from his, and he left to skim teeth along his jaw, moving to whisper something in his ear. James's breath hitched. Half-pant and half-growl, James had never heard Moony's voice like this.

"He’s totally gagging for you, Prongs. You know that, right?"

James groaned loudly, praying that Filch wasn't outside the door. His fist clutched the material of Moony's shirt even tighter. When had his hand wound up there anyway?

Remus continued on, dropping to place an open-mouthed kiss on his neck. "so I guess I’ll just have to get used to you.” The light scrape of nails against his scalp was becoming somewhat addicting, James thought, while considering what Remus had said.

The tone of his voice suggested he wasn’t entirely bothered by the idea of having James around. He grinned, wondering what it would feel like to pull Moony into his lap for some much-needed friction. Remus would probably let him, he thought breathlessly. Among all the sensations, it took James a moment to reply to his teasing, as Moony had begun snogging him again, thus thoroughly distracting him from the topic at hand.

He smiled at Remus, who was looking at him rather hungrily. “Hope it’s not too much of a chore for you.”

Moony grinned back, with that wicked glint in his eye that had James seeing double, and briefly pressed their foreheads together.

“Let’s go find Padfoot, hm?”

Remus had the most brilliant ideas sometimes.

“What about detention?” James asked, lightly panting, even though he didn't give a rat's arse about detention when Moony was looking at him like that.

“Fuck detention.”

This Remus was rather addictive, he mused, as they sprinted down the hallway together, laughing breathlessly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know most of you are here for the James/Sirius pairing, and this chapter has a lot of James/Remus. Don't worry! Sirius is about to become *very* involved, so stick around. <3


	3. Get With the Program, Sirius

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where things start to get *mature,* so just a heads-up!
> 
> *Also, there is a relatively detailed description of Remus's scars, so if that is triggering for you, I would recommend not reading this chapter.

Remus convinced him to act casual by the time they arrived at the entrance to the common room, even though his dick was still pressing against his trousers and his breathing wasn’t entirely under control, something he guessed Remus knew when the little shit pulled him in for another snog before pushing him through the door.

Sirius looked up from the sofa. “Wormtail said you fell into McGonagall's evil clutches. Detention end early?”

“Something like that.” James hated that his voice still sounded so breathless, especially with Remus’s smug smile next to him. Sirius looked at him quizzically, carelessly tossing his half-folded paper airplane on the floor to be trampled by first years in the morning.

“You alright Prongs? Run into Evans or something?”

Remus was struggling to hold back his laughter. James shot him a glare that had zero effect. Bastard. Moony pushed past him and leaned over the back of the sofa to face Sirius.

“I have a question for you, Padfoot.”

He eyed him curiously, but nodded.

“Would you mind terribly if I snogged Prongs?”

James choked a little on his own saliva. Direct, then. Alright. Sirius obviously thought this was all some grand joke, judging by his startled laugh, and his evident disbelief left James wondering whether he should be offended on Remus's behalf or his own. Sirius smiled indulgently. “No, I wouldn’t mind at all, Moony.”

“Good. Because I already did.”

It was Sirius’s turn to choke on his saliva, and James’s turn to blush. What happened to smitten, blushy Remus anyway? Had he ceased to exist the moment they kissed? Moony looked perfectly nonchalant now as he headed to the dorm, clearly assuming they would follow. Of course they did.

“You what?”

“I snogged James in detention.”

How did he shrug like that, all casual? James's heart was racing, realizing all the ways this could go wrong. It wasn't too late to play it off as a joke and cut their losses. Only, Sirius was barefoot and had his hair up in one of those messy buns tonight, exposing his neck and the smooth, unmarked expanse of skin there. The risk might be worth it, he thought feverishly.

Sirius laughed again, looking to James to crack a smile. He didn’t. He was rather focused on Remus now, who let a small smirk grace his features. James absentmindedly licked his lips, remembering how they felt against Moony's and wondering how soon he could feel them against Sirius's.

“You're kidding, right?” he asked, incredulously, eyes shifting between James and Remus almost comically. He shook his head, unsure what else to say, especially since Remus was simply watching everything play out with a distinctly amused expression. Didn't he know that James was about to die of sexual frustration?

Sirius turned to Remus sharply, pointing an accusatory finger. “I don’t believe you. James was writing Evans love letters _yesterday._ ”

For a few seconds, James felt guilty. He really _did_ love Lily, but they weren't together. Besides, this wasn't getting off with some random bird in the astronomy tower. This was Padfoot and Moony. They were different.

“You don’t think I’m as tempting as Evans?”

Remus wasn’t trying to hide his smirk anymore, and Sirius looked uncharacteristically unsure. James gulped, but Padfoot quickly recovered, bravado returning full force.

“Okay, fine." He gestured between them expectantly. "Show me. If you did it once, you can do it again.”

James considered pointing out that they had definitely done it more than once between detention and the common room, pushing each other up against walls in empty corridors and such, but Remus was already moving toward him. The freckles entered his line of vision once more. Remus tilted his head slightly.

“What do you think, Prongs? Should we show him?”

It was obvious that Sirius didn’t expect them to go through with this, so the shocked gasp he heard when their mouths met was nearly as satisfying as Remus’s tongue in his mouth.

Moony was an exceptionally fast learner. By now, he had already figured out what made James's knees weak, just in time to put on a show for Sirius, and it was very difficult to hold his reactions back, due to the raging boner that hadn’t abated in the slightest during this entire exchange. All he had to do was look at Padfoot and remember that Remus had promised to _share_ him. He didn’t have to think of much else when Remus was kissing him because he did that thing with his tongue and pulled his hair just like that and sighed into his mouth like he was quite content to stand there and reduce James to a quivering mess for the rest of the night.

James moaned, and he suddenly remembered Sirius, who was watching all of this happen right before his eyes, who hadn’t heard James make sounds like that since they wanked next to each other that day in the dorm. He hadn’t said a goddamn word since this began, from shock or fascination, he didn’t know, but it was hard to think when Remus slipped a cool hand underneath his shirt and pressed it against his side. James wanted desperately to push himself flush against him, but he wasn’t sure what the rules were here. Was Remus even hard? Was Sirius? He pulled away to hiss into Moony's ear, unwilling to say in front of Sirius what was frankly, embarrassing.

“If you make me come in my pants, I’ll kill you.”

Remus chuckled. Bastard. And he whispered into James’s ear, a thousand times hotter, “You can come in his mouth. How about that?”

His eyes fluttered shut from the onslaught of images. The sound of someone clearing their throat snapped him out of his stupor. Sirius appeared to be at a loss for words when he and Remus finally turned to look at him. He couldn’t blame him. James didn’t know what to say either. Thankfully, Remus rose to the challenge of calm and collected, well, as calm as someone can be with a visible hard-on, James noticed. _I did that,_ he thought smugly. That smugness dropped off his face rather quickly.

“I don’t know why you’ve resigned yourself to wanking over him, Sirius. He’s rather easy.”

James didn’t have time to be offended because the tension crackling in the air promptly snapped taught as Remus and Sirius shared one deep, heated look. Padfoot surged forward and kissed Remus with an intensity James had never seen before. There were no stirrings of jealousy, he noted. He was simply fascinated. If someone had told James yesterday, that he would be watching his two best mates stick their tongues down each other's throats while _enjoying_ the voyeurism, then he would have had them committed to St. Mungos, but here he was, pressing the heel of his palm down on his crotch in an attempt to calm himself.

Moony and Padfoot parted for a moment, staring at each other intently. A sort of understanding seemed to pass between them, and Sirius looked up, locking eyes with James. Suddenly, he was grinning widely over Moony's shoulder, eyes dropping to the hand he had yet to move. James could only manage a weak smile in return as his head spun. This could go one of two ways. Either Sirius was about to take the mickey out of him, or he was going to-

"C'mere then, Prongs." He said cheerfully, and James felt his feet move against his will, not that he was eager to stop it anyway.

-

So that's how he found himself standing awkwardly in front of Sirius and Remus with an erection that wouldn't quit. Part of him expected Sirius to lunge at him like he did Remus, but he actually looked somewhat..nervous? That couldn't be right. Padfoot was never nervous. James could get anxious at times, Remus often wary, and Peter outright frightened, but Sirius was always so sure of everything, himself included. Seeing this side of him was unsettling, but also rather thrilling. James took a hesitant step forward, and Moony sighed exasperatedly. If James looked down, he would probably see Remus tapping his foot impatiently.

"Can you two manage a snog on your own, or must I do everything?"

Remus's prodding brought him back to himself for a moment. They were being ridiculous. This was just like anything James and Sirius did together. There was no reason to be so cautious. If he could kiss Moony, he could kiss _Padfoot_ , for Merlin's sake, so he moved in closer, until there was barely any space between them. He finally summoned that grin he'd tried for earlier, before Sirius mashed their mouths together almost painfully. He couldn't hold back the immediate groan. It felt a lot like relief. Sirius's hands wrapped around his waist automatically, and James tangled his fingers in his hair. He had been hesitant to touch Moony because he wasn't sure what the rules were, but the magnificent thing about Sirius was that he didn't believe in rules.

He couldn't help but compare them. Moony was thorough, and Sirius was enthusiastic. James wasn't sure what _he_ was, but it must have been good enough for Padfoot, if his moans were anything to go by. _Hot hot hot_ was all he could think, Sirius's hands burning through his robes, his tongue licking into his mouth anywhere it could reach. _Hot hot hot,_ so hot he couldn't breathe, and he had to take in gulps of air when they eventually separated. James's eyes flicked down to his mouth. Padfoot's lips were red and swollen, a sight that caused Remus's cocksure voice to float back into his mind. _"You can come in his mouth. How about that?"_ Merlin, Moony was evil. James was flushed and panting, but Sirius wasn't faring much better. He could feel Remus essentially thrumming with energy next to him.

In one sudden movement, Remus yanked him aside, pressing them flush against each other and ravishing his mouth with more intent than before. James suspected that Remus was trying to get a taste of Sirius on his lips, but he didn't mind, not when Moony's cock was pressing hard and thick against his own through their robes. His hands were trapped between their chests, and fingers were pressing firmly on his hips, those same fingers that James had been so fixated on in detention. He whimpered and was immediately mortified when Remus laughed against his lips and licked the back of his teeth.

Sirius wrestled him away and pushed him onto the bed, sparing him a heated glance before snogging Moony. Once again, he found himself mesmerized by their kiss. They seemed to fit together so perfectly. When one shifted or twisted this way, the other would follow. One sound would provoke another. Sirius was trying desperately to shove Remus's robes off his shoulders while he scratched up Padfoot's lower back. He felt his own eyes widen as Remus pulled Padfoot's hair more roughly than James had dared, his mouth going completely dry when Sirius let out a deliciously ragged, tortured sound as a result. Moony separated from Sirius long enough to tell James to get his kit off.

James was slightly embarrassed at how readily he had obeyed, almost strangling himself with his tie in his haste to remove it. He felt utterly inept, but it was difficult to concentrate on stripping when Remus and Sirius were undressing each other right before his eyes. Moony's robes were a lump on the floor, and he was tugging Sirius's shirt over his head. The smooth, pale skin of his chest was making James dizzy, but he forced himself to focus on getting his own clothes off while Remus got rid of his socks and shoes. Sirius was as impatient as ever, James thought fondly as he peeled his shirt off his body, watching Padfoot paw at the buttons on Remus's trousers uselessly. He could relate. It was rather hard to focus on any task while snogging Moony. James was so fixated on the large hands sliding all over Sirius's chest that he almost missed the other boy's hand disappear into Remus's trousers. Sirius moaned as loudly as Remus did, pulling his lip into his mouth and swearing, half gasp, half whine,

"Fuck, you're big."

James essentially ripped the rest of his clothes off his body as fast as he could, until he was panting on the bed in just his boxers. He was going to explode if someone didn't touch him soon.

"Prongs," James stood up quickly, eagerly anticipating whatever request Remus would huff out against Sirius's neck next. "Would you help Padfoot with his trousers?"

Sirius turned to him suddenly, and James rushed toward him. Any lingering hesitance was promptly obliterated. There was no turning back now, not when he was reaching for Sirius's fly, not when Padfoot was looking at him like _that._ James pushed his trousers down to his knees. When Sirius moved to step out of them, he took the brief moment of broken eye contact to calm himself. Except, it was sort of impossible to be calm when Sirius Black was standing in front of him wearing only his pants and sporting an erection. Merlin, maybe if Padfoot stopped _staring_ at him like that-

Sirius reached out to fiddle with the waistband of his boxers, before pulling him closer by the fabric and grabbing him quickly by the waist. Their bare chests were touching, slightly slick with sweat. Without thinking, James shifted his hips and thrust forward against him, almost sobbing with how good it felt. Sirius bit down on his neck and swore, his grip tightening around James's waist with a little choked sound.

"Fuck, Jamie."

A body pressed up behind him, holding him by the hips. James wondered if Moony's fingers would leave indents on his skin and blushed when he acknowledged just how alluring that thought actually was. Clearly, Remus had lost his trousers somewhere along the line. He briefly rubbed his erection against James, but his shirt scratched his skin. The fact that James couldn't feel Moony's bare skin against his back frustrated him to no end, even distracting him from the open-mouth kisses Sirius was now laving over his neck.

He bent an arm uncomfortably behind him to paw at Remus's shirt and grumbled, "Take this _off_ , Moony."

Remus suddenly stiffened, "I don't-" his voice breaking off, slightly panicked. James tilted his head back in question, but Padfoot's sudden disapproving glare stopped him from saying anything.

Sirius stepped back and fixed Remus with a reassuring smile. "It's alright, Moony. We don't mind a few scars. Right, Prongs?" His voice was decidedly gentle, and James wanted to kick himself for his own thoughtlessness.

Hoping that his expression communicated sincerity, he turned to face Remus. "Of course I don't mind." He offered a small smile and raised his hand dutifully. "Marauder's honor." That dragged an amused smile out of him, and James took that as a victory, however wobbly it was.

Reluctantly, Remus unbuttoned his shirt and let it slide off his shoulders, standing still as a statue. They had only seen him shirtless a handful of times, in glimpses, since he made them all promise not to go into the shack until he was fully transformed and leave when he began to shift back to human form. He didn't change clothes where people could see and only used the showers when they were empty. They used to tease him about his modesty before they realized just how insecure Moony was about his scars. Objectively, James could see why he kept them hidden, but with the moonlight streaming through the window, lighting up the marks as they trailed and twisted across his skin like the lines of a map, James was outraged that Moony covered it up.

His legs felt like lead, but he stepped closer, raising an unsteady hand. The scratchiness of his voice surprised him. "Can I touch you?"

He could feel Sirius behind him, watching carefully as Remus gave him a small nod. The first touch was light and made Moony's breath hitch. At first, he tried to avoid the scars, worried it might make Remus even more uncomfortable, but his hands seemed to have a mind of their own. Suddenly, he was tracing them with his fingers, feeling where some were slightly raised. Others had melted seamlessly into the rest of his skin. There was white and dark, thick and thin, utterly fascinating. He felt along a light scar that slashed dangerously close to a nipple, and then James couldn't see any reason why he couldn't trail his thumb over that too. 

Moony sucked in a sharp breath and bit his lip. On a whim, James pressed their mouths together and nibbled on the spot Remus had been dragging his teeth over for ages. When he finally appeared to relax, Sirius nearly pushed James out of the way to get at his skin. Now that the option of touching Moony's chest was finally on the table, Padfoot seemed eager to take advantage of it. He had probably thought about this moment a lot, James realized. If Sirius's crush was indeed as intense as James suspected, it was entirely plausible that Padfoot spent every day in Transfiguration daydreaming about peeling Moony's clothes off and finally having access to all the flesh he kept hidden away, out of reach. James had similar thoughts about Sirius, now that he was being honest with himself. The difference was, Sirius _didn't_ keep his flesh hidden away. He paraded around half-naked every chance he could get, and that just made it worse because it was all _right there,_ and James couldn't touch it. Sirius probably would have let him, but it felt like a line that shouldn't be crossed. James was now perfectly happy to stomp that line into the dirt until it was unrecognizable.

Sirius licked a stripe up Remus's neck, making him groan. It was likely that James would be hard for the rest of his life if he had to keep watching Moony's eyes flutter shut while Padfoot's hands flitted around his chest like he couldn't decide where he wanted to touch most. Sirius whispered something that sounded very much like 'gorgeous' into Moony's ear, and James shifted nervously. For the first time that night, he felt like he was intruding. The feeling was short-lived. He must have made a distressed noise because they both turned to him simultaneously. Remus whispered something in Padfoot's ear that made him push James onto the mattress and snog him properly. He tried to give as good as he got, but it was all so dizzying. _Sirius_ was dizzying, like a fast-paced Quidditch match or a shot of firewhiskey, like running from the scene of a crime under the invisibility cloak, like felix felicis and _everything_ all at once. Sirius kissed like he wanted to swallow James whole.

He realized with a jolt that Moony was sliding off his boxers. Before he could react, one of those large, warm hands wrapped around his cock, stealing all of the breath out of his lungs. That first firm stroke had him arching up into Remus's hand and swearing frantically against Sirius's mouth. Only then did Padfoot look down and notice the proceedings. _Merlin, he was so fucking close._ Unfortunately, Sirius had sat back to watch Remus's hand move with a slightly awed and hungry expression, leaving James with no fiery snogging to distract him from the feeling.

James forced out the words stuck in his throat, sounding strangled. "If you don't stop that, I'm gonna come." His left hand twisted in the sheets as he attempted to ground himself. He wanted to kick Sirius for laughing.

"Already? Nice stamina, Prongs."

James almost died from mortification, but Remus rose to his defense and slowed his strokes. "He's been holding out extremely well, I'd say."

 _Thank you, Moony!_ His gratefulness quickly vanished though, as that small, wicked smirk found its way back onto Remus's face. James should have known better.

"Why don't you tell Padfoot how long you've been hard?"

James groaned and threw his arm over his eyes to block out Sirius's inquisitive stare. "Fuck you, Moony," he grumbled.

Sirius wrestled his arm away from his face and forced him to look directly into his eyes. "How long?" It was so difficult to form words when Padfoot looked so wild and focused. Tendrils of raven-black hair fell from his bun, framing his face and softening the sharpness of his cheekbones.

"Since detention," he muttered under his breath. Gods, he must have been blushing like mad.

"Sorry, what was that? You'll have to speak up, Prongs." Remus was entirely too smug. James was about to give him a piece of his mind when he twisted his hand _just so_ on the upstroke and reduced him to gasping.

"Since detention!" he said in a rush. Merlin, he was weak, but how the hell was he supposed to maintain his resolve when Moony had his hand around his dick? Men have surrendered over less, he mused.

"And why is that, I wonder?" Oh, Moony was cruel, just plain cruel. "You'll have to refresh my memory. What had we been talking about?"

James's face burned, unable to look Sirius in the eye, but he knew that the potential consequences of leaving Remus's question unanswered could be catastrophic. What if Moony stopped touching him? The possibility was too painful to even think of.

He shifted uneasily in the sheets. "Padfoot."

Remus grinned, rewarding him with a harder grip. "We were talking about Padfoot."

"Fuck. Really?" Sirius asked, sounding rather astonished. James didn't know why this was so surprising, considering their current situation. Maybe it was a bit embarrassing that he had gotten hard just from _talking_ about Sirius, but it was hardly shocking in light of recent events.

"Yeah." He might as well admit it. His dignity had abandoned him as soon as this began, and there was no use trying to get it back now. Sirius's eyes darted between his face and his dick with an unreadable expression before he leaned into Moony and whispered frantically, a hand digging into James's thigh. He was obviously not meant to hear, but Sirius was not a subtle bloke.

"Can I, Moony? Please?"

James's head spun. The only time Sirius ever used the word 'please' was when he was taking the piss out of someone, and this did not sound like one of those times. He sounded completely earnest, maybe even a little desperate.

"Go ahead." Remus released him, and Sirius's mouth replaced his hand as soon as the words left his lips. James's head fell back on the pillows with tremendous force. He tried not to dwell on whatever ridiculous noises he must have been making at that moment. Merlin, he had never felt anything so spectacular in his life. This wasn't his first blowjob by any means, but it sure felt that way. Padfoot's obvious skill was partly to blame, but something told James that he would still feel this electricity even if Sirius was completely shit at sucking cock.

For the record, Sirius was definitely _not_ shit at sucking cock. He forced his head off the pillows, so he could watch. He would never forgive himself if he missed this, but clearly, James underestimated the effect of something as blindingly erotic as his best mate's lips stretched around him because as soon as Sirius locked eyes with him, he felt that tell-tale pressure.

"Fucking hell, I'm gonna come." He was trembling, and surprisingly, he found himself looking to Remus, who was already staring at him expectantly, eyes dark and focused. James nearly bit straight through his lip when he realized that Moony was _wanking_.

"It's alright. You can come. There's plenty of time for you to fuck him."

The words hit him like a strong reducto, accompanied by a loud moan from Sirius, and he spilled into his mouth without warning.


	4. Decoded

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it's time for me to change the rating to explicit...I think I got a bit carried away here.
> 
> *I'm going to do one more chapter, and then I'm finished. I'm considering making a series out of it though (with snippets of their fun times together, exploring James's thing with lily and how it fits or doesn't fit, etc.) I think it could be interesting, but let me know what you think in the comments!

Sanity was overrated, James thought. He wasn't sure if it was Moony's, Padfoot's, or his own madness that had led to this moment, but he was grateful all the same. Perhaps they were _all_ a bit unhinged, but if that meant he could watch Padfoot swallow his spunk, he didn't particularly care.

The force of his orgasm had surprised him. For a minute there, he thought he was going to pass out, and then he never would have heard the end of it from Sirius, who, by the way, appeared quite pleased with himself, James noticed, when he finally came down from his high. His tongue darted out to swipe over his lip, and he smirked when James's dick gave a feeble twitch in response. In a way, it was comforting to see Padfoot's swagger returning. On the other hand, now James would never be able to look at him without remembering that exact expression and the events surrounding it. His perception of Moony had already done a 180 in less than a day, and James probably should have been more concerned with how fast things were changing between all of them. Instead, he just felt excited, like this was something momentous but natural all at once. They had been leading up to this for a long time, James realized.

Sirius seemed to be on board. James tore his eyes away to fix them on Moony and suss out his position on all this. It occurred to him that Remus's verdict was really the one that mattered most. Remus and Sirius's mutual attraction had been confirmed as soon as they kissed, and Moony had a claim over Sirius now. Remus had given James a sort of permission in detention, but how far did it extend?

Moony didn't appear to be worried over The Blowjob, and when Sirius leaned in to kiss him, he made an approving sound against his lips and proceeded to ravish Padfoot's mouth like he wanted a taste of James as well. Sirius was all too eager to give it to him, and James was embarrassingly pleased by it. He thought back to what Remus had said right before James started coming his brains out.

_"You have plenty of time to fuck him."_

This was difficult for James to process. He knew, in theory, what sex between blokes entailed, but he hadn't ever let himself think about it too much. Well, nothing could stop the visuals from assaulting him now. How would he take it? On his back, looking up at James through those dark, thick eyelashes? On his stomach, face pressed against the mattress, his back glistening with sweat? Or on his hands and knees _like an animal,_ moaning and trembling as James drove into him over and over again? He was immediately ashamed for that last part. Mr. Dog Animagus and Moony McWerewolf over there probably wouldn't appreciate the comparison, but he didn't mean it like _that_ anyway.

James sat up, and the question fell out of his mouth unwillingly. "Did you mean that?" His voice was an embarrassing squeak, and he wanted to kick himself. Remus said he was okay with James and Sirius together, but Moony was obviously arse over tit for Padfoot. Would he really let James _fuck_ the object of his affection? James nearly flew off the handle when anyone so much as glanced in Lily's direction, but maybe blokes were different. Maybe _Remus_ was different.

So he plowed onward. "What you said before, did you mean it?"

Remus and Sirius finally parted to address him, and Padfoot kept his eyes on Moony as if he also wanted to know the answer. James's hand twitched nervously in the sheets, and he saw Padfoot chewing on his lip anxiously. Merlin, now both of them were adopting Remus's nervous tics.

"I was curious to see how you would react." The corner of his mouth twitched up in amusement as his eyes flicked to James's lap. "You didn't disappoint."

James's face burned while Sirius snickered beside him. He suspected that Moony was torturing him as revenge for all of James's past teasing. In that case, Sirius was likely in for it as well. Remus finally took pity on him. "C'mere, Prongs."

James sat up and shuffled his body forward, settling in front of him. Their knees were touching, and that sole source of contact sent a jolt of heat through him. His eyes slid up from their knees and stopped at Moony's lap abruptly. He hadn't looked at Remus's dick directly until now. His tongue felt like lead in his mouth. Sirius hadn't been exaggerating earlier. Moony _was_ big. He swallowed audibly, aware he was staring, but unable to look away. How did Remus sit there so calmly with such a raging hard-on? He probably prided himself on his level of restraint, his control, considering he lost every ounce of it on the full moon.

"James."

"Hm?" he muttered, distracted. Was Moony talking to him? His prick twitched under James's stare. James licked his lips absentmindedly before Remus cupped a hand around his jaw and tilted his head up to eye level. The fog in his brain cleared up quickly. He was briefly horrified at having been caught, but it was impossible to regret when Remus was looking at him like that, like all that self-control could fly out the window at any given moment. Moony's hand hadn't left his jaw; it simply moved to grab his face more firmly. Before he knew it, Remus was crushing their mouths together, rougher than he had previously, a sort of desperation that wasn't there before. Remus liked to bite James's lip as much as his own.

Sirius had moved behind him, and those same elegant hands that consistently popped up in James's fantasies were feeling along his ribs and over his chest. He was biting along James's neck, bringing the skin between his teeth and sucking hard. All he could think was that he'd be covered in marks by morning, and he felt almost giddy with it. Sirius rubbed a thumb over his nipple, causing James to curse against Moony's mouth. Merlin, he was already getting hard again.

Sirius hissed frantically in his ear, loud enough for Remus to hear, "Touch him. Go on, touch him."

James's head spun. He broke from Remus, breathing heavily and hating the pleading note in his voice when he asked Remus, "Can I?"

Moony took James's hand and wrapped it firmly around his cock. James swore they all said "fuck" at the same time. Remus was breathing as heavily as him, and James felt a surge of confidence now that the playing field had evened out a bit. He gave a tentative stroke. It wasn't all that different from touching himself, except for the change in angle and the fact that Moony definitely had more cock to work with than he did. Remus gave a short grunt and covered James's hand with his own to guide him. Firmer, faster, a little twist _there_. James was a bit irritated at the implication that he needed direction, but it was difficult to stay upset when Moony's breath was shaky like that, his forehead falling against James's like he needed the support. Padfoot's fingernails were digging into his skin, and Remus looked behind him for a moment.

Whatever he saw in Sirius's eyes had him whispering hotly in James's ear, "I meant what I said. I want you to fuck him. I want to watch you fuck him." Merlin, James couldn't fucking _breathe._

Obviously, Sirius had heard because he shifted around to stare at them like he couldn't believe it. Padfoot nearly climbed into Remus's lap, causing James's hand to drop. Sirius touched Moony feverishly. "Really?"

"If that's alright with you." Remus fixed Padfoot with a knowing smirk. Something Moony said in detention came hurtling back into his mind. _"He's totally gagging for you, Prongs."_ Merlin, was that actually true? Clearly, Sirius was attracted to him, but had he honestly thought about _that?_ Had Sirius sat next to him in Divination and fantasized about it? Did he imagine James inside him when he wanked? Fuck, it was too dizzying to think about.

"Do you want to?" he asked without meaning to, entirely breathless and fully hard, a fact that did not escape Moony's attention if his smug smile was anything to go by. Sirius turned to him suddenly and moved entirely to close for James to focus.

"Do _you_ want to?" Sirius's eyes were so bright and alive. It was fascinating, even through James's incredulity at the question. _Did he want to?_ What sort of question was that? He was about to come all over himself from the thought alone. Was Sirius really that oblivious? James was beginning to understand Moony's frustration.

"Yeah." was all he could get out. Remus snorted, as if to say, _understatement of the fucking century._ At least Padfoot appreciated the sentiment. His fingers trailed james's chest.

"Yeah?" Sirius muttered softly. James nodded and groaned in relief when Padfoot proceeded to stick his tongue down his throat. Gods, he was never going to get used to that feeling. James pulled him into his lap, letting their erections to rub against each other. Why the bloody hell was Sirius not fully naked yet? He was about to voice as much, but Sirius was shoving James's hand down his pants and licking a stripe up his neck.

"You wanna fuck me?"

That sly voice was going to kill him. By now, Sirius knew the answer to that question and was now reveling in the knowledge. James couldn't even be annoyed by the smugness. Part of him wanted Sirius to enjoy this victory, even if it made James feel vulnerable. He was a sucker when it came to Padfoot. He always has been.

So honesty was what he gave him, however pathetic and desperate it sounded. " _Yes._ Please, Sirius. I want to. I really fucking want to."

Sirius was visibly surprised by his candidness. A significant part of their friendship was based on banter, a teasing back and forth, but this felt serious. This felt like a confession. His eyes bore into James so deep and hot that he could barely stand it. Sirius kissed him with renewed vigor, and James made a little helpless sound when he couldn't successfully rid Padfoot of his pants. Remus came to the rescue of course. James amended his past judgements. Moony was not evil. Moony was an angel. He vanished Sirius's pants with a fond sigh. _Magic._ Why hadn't James thought of that? Wonderful, brilliant Moony. Now he could finally touch the cock his subconscious had been salivating over ever since Sirius ripped open his bed curtains that day in the dorm. He spared Remus another grateful thought for familiarizing him with hand jobs. The groan from Sirius was undoubtedly the hottest thing he'd ever heard.

Sirius eventually shoved him away and grinned at Moony. "C'mon then." James watched dumbly as Sirius arranged himself artfully against the pillows, resting back on his forearms and spreading his legs. For a long moment, Remus was as entranced as James, unable to do anything but stare at Sirius on the bed. Merlin, he'd be wanking over this image for the rest of his life.

Remus must have shook himself out of his stupor because he was summoning something from the drawer. Whose bed were they in anyways? That was the first time he'd thought about it. He looked around. _Moony's bed._ He was about to fuck Sirius in _Moony's_ bed. James, for the life of him, could not explain why that was so intensely erotic, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. A jar was suddenly shoved into his hand. He realized, blinking slowly in growing comprehension, that it was lube. It suddenly occurred to James that he wasn't entirely sure how to do this.

James looked up at Remus a little stupidly. He took the jar back out of James's hand and nipped him playfully on the neck. "You're adorable sometimes. Budge over." James obeyed, blushing lightly and hoping it didn't show through his dark skin. Maybe melanin could save him from this constant mortification. Moony unscrewed the lid and dipped two fingers inside. James found himself fixated on his fingers once again, and a quick glance in Sirius's direction confirmed that Padfoot was similarly transfixed. Remus whispered a spell under his breath to warm the lube. James didn't know why wandless magic was so arousing, but it was.

Remus glanced up at him. "I'll show you how to start off."

Sirius let out a strangled noise, and James realized something astonishing. Moony had done this before. Sirius seemed to make a similar conclusion because he shot up straight and wrapped a hand around Remus's wrist tightly. The lube tumbled between the sheets.

"Who?" There was no need to explain what Sirius meant.

Remus's eyes softened. "Just some muggle I met last Summer," and with a viciousness that took James's breath away, Sirius surged forward and kissed Remus. James took a moment to acknowledge the irony in Sirius's sudden possessiveness in light of their current situation.

"Was he any good?" Sirius asked him through gritted teeth. James thought there was no right way to answer that question.

Moony gave him a watery smile. "Would it make you feel any better if I said 'no'?" Padfoot nearly bit through Remus's lip in a sort of frantic attempt to claim his mouth and presumably erase any trace of this elusive muggle. The hypocrisy was somewhat striking, seeing as Sirius was no virgin himself. He'd had about a thousand people in his bed, birds and blokes alike. In James's opinion, one Summer fling hardly mattered next to that.

Sirius obviously disagreed, growling, "I don't want you to be with anyone else." James's heart dropped into his gut.

"I don't want you to be with anyone else either," Moony said gently, trying to calm him, but clearly meaning what he said. Sirius visibly relaxed, and they smiled at each other happily. James felt something like despair rip through his chest.

"I'll just..go then." James winced at how pathetically disappointed he sounded.

James didn't expect Moony to roll his eyes dramatically, or for Padfoot to look at him like he was exceptionally dim. "You're not _'someone else,'_ James. You're _Prongs._ "

Sirius nodded in agreement, sliding halfway into his lap and guiding James's hand to stroke him. "You're exactly where you're supposed to be."

"On Moony's bed with your dick in my hand?" He raised an eyebrow, hoping the pure elation he was feeling wasn't showing on his face. Remus snorted a laugh, and Sirius grinned.

"Precisely." Sirius returned to his previous position on the bed and tossed the jar of lube back to Remus, who caught it with exceptional ease. Moony could be seeker material if he showed the slightest interest in Quidditch. "Now," Sirius wiggled his hips, "Let Moony show you how it's done." Maybe if James could have a glass of water, his mouth wouldn't be so dry.

Sirius tracked Remus's fingers as he coated them in the thick, wet substance and reached between Sirius's legs. He rushed to Padfoot's side, trying to figure out the best vantage point to watch from. James gasped louder than Sirius at the first touch and blushed immediately. For Circe's sake, he hadn't even put them _inside_ yet. _Get a hold of yourself, James!_ Moony's eyes twinkled with amusement, and Sirius made an impatient noise to draw Remus's attention back to the task at hand. "If someone doesn't put their fucking fingers inside me _right now,_ I'm going to-"

Sirius's voice choked off into a surprised moan when Remus suddenly pressed two fingers inside him at once. "You're going to _what,_ Sirius?" Remus had on that wicked smirk again, and James felt both jealous and relieved that he wasn't the one at Moony's mercy. He thrust his fingers shallowly and watched Padfoot squirm.

"Fuck, Moony." Sirius groaned, trying to grind down on his fingers. Then, something miraculous happened, Remus twisted his fingers a certain way, and Sirius's hips jolted off the mattress, a litany of curses pouring from his mouth.

"No, not fuck _Moony._ Fuck _Padfoot._ " he smiled teasingly, but James could see his eyes darting between Sirius's legs and his face hungrily. James indulged himself in a slow stroke, but had to stop immediately, in case he came all over himself before the main event. Remus thrust them back in roughly, presumably hitting that magic spot once again, if Padfoot's steady stream of _fuck fuck fuck_ was any indicator. Sirius was so hard that it was difficult for James to look away. Suddenly, Sirius let out a long, tortured whine, and James realized that Moony was sliding his fingers away. He thought for a moment that Padfoot might beg, his heart thudding loudly in his chest. Remus didn't give him the chance.

"I think Prongs understands how it goes now." James nodded quickly in agreement, and Remus shifted aside, handing James the lube, and Padfoot's breath hitched audibly when he swirled the substance around on his fingers curiously. Sirius shifted his hips impatiently before Remus stilled them with a firm hand. After an encouraging nod from Moony, James tentatively pressed a finger inside and tried not to crow at the soft moan falling from Sirius's lips.

"Another, James," Remus directed, and he obeyed without a thought. Moony was tracing circles on his thigh, which was highly distracting. Sirius's breathy sounds were distracting too, but James was desperate to draw something stronger out of him. Apparently Moony could read minds because he reached to adjust the position of James's hand, twisting his fingers slightly.

"Yeah, just like that. Now just curl your fingers up a bit like-"

Suddenly, Sirius swore loudly and shoved down hard on his hand. James grinned, feeling rather victorious. Basking in his pride, he was perfectly happy to let Moony trail kisses across his shoulder, unprepared for when he nipped at James's ear and whispered, "Good work, Prongs" like he was entirely serious, like James had just answered a question correctly in Herbology, not finger-fucked his best mate into in-coherency. James _liked_ it. Moony's approval was always so difficult to win, and here he was, offering it to James freely. Remus smiled knowingly against his neck and moved away to bite along Sirius's chest.

Padfoot's hand rose instinctively to tangle into Moony's hair when he sucked a nipple into his mouth. He let out a sharp cry and tugged at Remus helplessly. "More, Moony. Make him give me more."

James huffed indignantly. _Make me?_ Remus couldn't _make_ him do anything, but considering James had done literally everything Remus had asked up to that point, he figured he didn't have much of a defense. "Ask him yourself."

"Please, Jamie. One more, just one more." And how could James refuse him when he looked like that, his eyes all dark and wide and _pleading_? When Remus was staring at him expectantly, and then, encouragingly? James wriggled a third finger alongside the other two and held his breath. That had to hurt, right? He couldn't tell if Sirius's eyes were screwed shut from pain, pleasure, or a mixture of the two. Remus reached for Padfoot's cock and gave it a firm stroke. Sirius seemed to come back to himself. He wriggled his hips down approvingly, so James pressed against that spot with more force, marveling at the surprising beauty of it all, of Sirius laying there, taking whatever James gave him, of the way his body seemed to accept him so readily.

Sirius's bun had fallen ages ago, the elastic lost somewhere in the sheets. Now his hair swept across his shoulders, black and messy and silky despite the tangles, and James watched in near-fascination as Remus carded his fingers through it and tugged, before pulling him in for a kiss. As Moony's hand sped up on Sirius's prick, James doubled his efforts to match the pace. All at once, he felt frantic and content, desperate but sated. Even as everything screamed urgency, James felt he could do this forever.

Sirius was impossible to put in a box. Those small, broken noises would escape him like a surrender, but he'd come back with something fiercer, more demanding, a constant ebb and flow that had James caught in the riptides. _Alive,_ he thought, _real._ That's what it was. And Moony brought them to this. Gratefulness surged through him, and he couldn't hold back an utterly soppy smile. Merlin, he was a sap.

With a half-panicked voice that halted James's movements, Sirius stuttered, "Stop, you're gonna make me come."

Remus paused, but didn't take his hand away. Instead, he shot Padfoot a secret smile that James knew, from experience, only meant trouble. "Don't you want to?" The teasing lilt was there. He wasn't imagining it. Sirius squirmed under Moony's attention, and James felt as though he was missing something here. It was difficult to concentrate though, with Padfoot still hot and tight around his unmoving fingers.

"No," Sirius muttered, almost too quietly to hear. 

James's brow furrowed in confusion, and he found himself asking the question before Remus did. "Why not?"

After all, Padfoot didn't have to prove his stamina. He'd been suffering a combination of Remus and James's ministrations for a while now, and it was perfectly acceptable to cash in on his orgasm at this point. The voice in his head was suddenly adamant that Padfoot experienced his release as soon as possible. James quickly realized that his intense desire to see what Sirius looked like when he came was the primary motivation at work.

Remus disrupted his thoughts. "Yeah, Padfoot, why not?" His voice was dripping with faux-innocence, and now James was _sure_ he was missing something. Moony continued on, prodding not-so-gently. He was definitely enjoying this. "Tell him, Padfoot. Tell him why you don't want to come."

"Fuck, Moony," Sirius groaned raggedly, locking eyes with Remus and letting out a tortured sigh at the knowing look there. How did Moony always _know_? Had he always been this perceptive? Clearly, he knew what Sirius was after, and he'd done a spectacular job so far of figuring out what James wanted too. James, on the other hand, was clueless, but whatever it was, it was making Padfoot blush. He almost didn't notice, with how light it was, barely there, but _there _. Sirius wasn't the type to blush. Embarrassment was a foreign concept to him. He just _did_ things, not caring what anyone thought about it, and the fact that Moony had managed to wrangle this reaction out of him was impressive. Hot.__

____

James watched eagerly, entirely too invested in whatever Sirius's response would be. At this point, neither one of them even considered leaving Remus's questions unanswered. It was like struggling against Veritaserum. _You can stall, but it will drag the truth out of you eventually._

Sirius's eyes darted to him and the raw sincerity there made James's breath catch. "Don't wanna come 'till you're inside me."

James's blood roared in his ears. "Fuck," and he scrambled on top of Sirius, kissing him hard into the mattress, so overcome with lust that he hadn't stopped to consider _why_ that was so hard for Sirius to say.

He was distantly aware that Moony was hissing words of approval in Padfoot's ear, soft and fierce and proud all at once, while James tried to swallow him whole. "That's right, Padfoot. It felt good to say that, didn't it?"

Sirius moaned loudly, and James felt dizzy, elated. His dick could have cut diamonds right then. He was going to make Padfoot come. He was going to be inside him, right where Sirius wanted him to be, connected, so unbelievably close. At that moment, James realized what Sirius had really meant with those few words, why he had been so reluctant to say them. It was too honest, too revealing. The force of it hit him like a stupefy. The sheer _intimacy_ was what they really craved. They had been inseparable for so long, co-dependent. Maybe it wasn't entirely healthy, but they clung to each other. When Remus came into the picture, James had been worried. He couldn't stand the thought of anything coming between them, but Moony _wasn't_ coming between them. He was _with_ them. He understood why Sirius needed to say those words to James. He understood what Sirius needed. James was completely overcome with emotion.

Because that was love. _Real_ love, not flowers and cheesy pick up lines. Moony wanted Sirius to be happy, and he would let James fuck him a hundred times if that's what it took. He had set this whole thing in motion. He wasn't gritting his teeth through it. He welcomed it. A deep sense of respect and affection welled up inside him at the realization. He tore himself away from Sirius and dragged Moony up to kiss him, trying desperately to communicate this. He poured himself into it. _I understand now,_ he tried to say with his lips, with his tongue, and Remus decoded it with a deep, sweet moan. When they parted, a long deep look of understanding passed between them.

James had never seen him so dark, so sure. Without breaking eye contact, Remus said, "Hands and knees, Padfoot." There was no question in it, no uncertainty. Moony didn't have to look next to him to know that Sirius had obeyed. When they finally turned to Padfoot, both of them had the same thought. _He's so beautiful._ It was true. Sirius was beautiful. James always knew he was attractive, but this was something else. His skin was glistening with sweat as he held his position intently. James felt hyper-aware of every twitch and ripple of muscle on his frame, every slight shift. He looked so strong and vulnerable like that, and a rush of possessiveness washed over James, on behalf of Remus and himself. No one else should ever see him like this. He was _theirs._

James shuffled behind him and ran a hand over his arse appreciatively while Remus slathered his cock in lube for him. Sirius moaned and shifted his hips. James wondered how the hell he was supposed to last more than five seconds once he was inside. Remus left his side and went to join Padfoot at the other end of the bed. Merlin, would Moony sit there staring lovingly into Sirius's eyes while James fucked him from behind? The concept was more arousing than odd, James noted. He felt incredibly daring when he rubbed against Padfoot's arse, knowing he could press inside at any moment, if he just tilted a certain way.

If he wasn't so hard, the "fuck" that fell from James's and Sirius's mouths at the same time might have been funny.

He fixed his eyes on Moony, desperately awaiting permission, and then in a move so achingly sweet, Remus tilted Sirius's head up for a gentle kiss. "I think you've waited long enough," he said softly, and Sirius whimpered gratefully.

James figured that was his cue.

 _Hot, tight, wet. Hot, tight, wet. Holy fuck._ James couldn't really think until he was fully sheathed, and even then, his ears felt stuffed with cotton. He was trembling slightly, and Sirius was panting and cursing around him. One look at Moony confirmed that he was whispering something hot and dirty into Padfoot's ear with a fierce expression. Sirius cried out. "Go on, Jamie. Fuck me."

Merlin, James was never going to get over this. He didn't want to. He thrust experimentally, fuzzy black dots clouding his vision, and he worked up an unsteady rhythm, clutching Sirius's hips desperately. Padfoot shoved himself back with frantic demands. "Harder, harder, more." Breathing was overrated, James thought. Who needed breathing when there was Sirius Black, spitting curses and filthy pleas?

Sirius was pleading with Remus too, James realized. "Let me suck your cock. Please, I need it. Please please.." and Moony was looking at Sirius like he wanted to tear him apart. There was no doubt in James's mind that he could do it, completely dismantle him and put him back together again. James would give anything to see it happen.

After an inaudible whisper, Sirius fell to rest on his forearms, and Remus was shoving that thick cock down his throat. James wanted desperately to get a better look, but he figured his view was just as great. With that distraction, James remembered The Spot and how imperative it was that he find it. After some shifting around, he finally scored, and Sirius moaned and choked around Remus's dick. Moony didn't let him up for air though. He tugged him down harder by his hair, and Padfoot made a delightfully tortured noise. James doubled his efforts, amazed he had even lasted this long, especially now that Remus was uttering filthy praises to Sirius, loud enough for James to hear.

"You're fucking good at that, you know?" Remus hissed. "You're being fucked in the arse, and you can still suck cock like a champ." Only Sirius's groan was louder than his own. Merlin, his legs were going to give out. "God, you're perfect." Sirius obviously appreciated Moony's approval even more than James had, judging by the range of noises escaping him, however muffled they were by Remus's dick.

A few seconds later, Remus was pulling out of his mouth and taking himself in hand instead, looking down at Sirius hungrily. "I'm gonna come all over your pretty face."

James couldn't help it. His orgasm hit him like a freight train. He clung to Sirius until it was over and promptly fell backwards on the mattress as he tried to recover. He couldn't even think because Sirius was moaning and _full of his come_ , and there was Moony telling Padfoot, "Don't you dare move," right before he finished. Fuck, he looked good in the throes of it.

He recovered quickly, much faster than James, and pushed Sirius on his back, quite close to where James was laying, giving him a spectacular view of Sirius's glazed eyes and swollen, red lips. Remus swiped his come across Padfoot's cheekbone and looked down at him with an expression James could only describe as complete and utter adoration. "Christ, you love it, don't you?" he said softly. The kiss that followed was less soft, all open-mouthed and wet and hard. Moony started whispering in his ear, and this time, James wasn't sure if he was meant to hear.

Remus finally took Padfoot's neglected cock in hand and worked it skillfully. "Later, I'll fuck you in Prongs's bed, nice and slow," Remus twisted and made Sirius curse under his breath. "I'll make you beg for it." Merlin, James was dizzy, and Sirius was writhing under Remus helplessly. Moony was so beautifully relentless. "You'll still be loose from James, and I'll just press inside you, hold you down, make you take it over and over again." James's breath was caught in his throat while Remus bit his way down Padfoot's throat.

"Oh God," Sirius moaned, not giving a shit if James heard him. "I want it. I really, really want it." James wanted it too, wanted Moony to fuck Sirius in his bed. Now he'd never be able to go to sleep without thinking about it.

Remus sounded utterly fond as he talked Sirius to the edge. "I know you do, Padfoot, and I'm gonna give it to you." He pressed down harder, suddenly more serious than he had been before. His eyes flicked up to James and back to Padfoot. "I'll always give you what you want."

Sirius's fingernails scratched down Moony's back as he growled into Remus's neck, "I fucking _love_ you," spilling over his hand with a choked-off moan.

There really couldn't have been a worse time for Wormtail to walk through the door.


	5. A Fitting Conclusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter!

Remus was pacing, a note of hysteria in his voice while he glared at James. "You didn't lock the door?"

He felt his chest puff up in indignation. "Well, you didn't either!" he shot back defensively, thinking to himself, _we were rather preoccupied at the time._

Sirius, the useless prat, was cackling on the floor. "His _face._ " and James's mouth twitched up against his will, remembering what had transpired only moments ago. At the time, obviously none of them expected Wormtail to stroll through the door, but he did, mumbling something about Potions and dungbombs before he looked up and reality crashed down around him. He had stopped dead in his tracks, letting out a mutated squeak, his face frozen and eyes wide as his brain slowly pieced together the scene before him. It wasn't that difficult to figure out, James thought. The three of them were naked on Moony's bed. Remus was scrambling off of Sirius's body. James hadn't even acknowledged Peter. Instead, he kept staring at Padfoot and Moony, entranced. Thoroughly disheveled.

Remus shot them both a glare, "The face of pure horror, Padfoot. We've traumatized him!" sounding thoroughly scandalized, though his fists relaxed slightly.

James grinned. "You have to admit, it was a little bit funny."

Remus flopped back down on the bed, sighing in defeat. James felt a burst of triumph when Moony sniffed noncommittally and muttered, "Maybe a little." Then, they were all grinning at each other, and James felt that same high associated with running from Filch under the invisibility cloak, pulling off a terrific prank, escaping by the skin of their teeth. In a way, it felt like he _had_ gotten away with something, even though Peter had caught them.

Of course James had to ruin it.

"So..what now? I mean, we should talk about this right?" _You're a bloody idiot, Prongs. Why can't you just shut up and enjoy this before Moony comes to his senses?_

Naturally, Remus deflected. "How am I supposed to have a serious conversation with you two right now? You've still got jizz on your face, Padfoot." The ill-disguised fondness in that last part made James smile.

"Yours, if I remember correctly," Sirius smirked, as Remus began to blush profusely. Oh _now_ he blushes. How convenient, after he'd been perfectly at ease whispering filthy things in their ears not five minutes ago.

"Oh, don't go shy on us now, Moony!" Sirius crowed, obviously enjoying how the tables had turned. "After all, you've made promises." James's heart raced a little, and Padfoot shot him a sly grin. "Prongs's bed, you said?" The realization that they were all still naked was not helping matters.

"Right," he said faintly, "I think you two should talk alone first."

-

It must have been a good talk.

When Moony and Padfoot finally joined him in the common room, they were beaming at each other like a couple of lovesick first years. Undoubtedly, the rumor mill would be up and running by morning, if the curious expressions lighting up the faces of a few Gryffindor girls by the fireplace were any indication. Remus, of course, tried to tamp down on his smiles with lip-biting and the occasional cough, but he wasn't very successful. Sirius, being true to his nature, didn't try to hide his affection at all, which resulted in a lot of blushing and hand-swatting from Remus when he got a little carried away with his touching. James was horrified at how endearing he found it all.

In any case, watching them was preferable to continuing a stilted conversation with Peter, as he'd been doing since he left the two of them in the dorm to talk. Wormtail was sitting on the couch when James came down the stairs. Ever since then, the weather and Herbology homework were the only topics deemed safe. Moments before Remus and Sirius had made an appearance, Peter was mumbling awkwardly, "I don't _mind,_ you know. I just didn't expect to _see-_ " James had thanked him and changed the subject quickly. It was somewhat mortifying, but James could tell that he was sincere. A bit of weight lifted off his shoulders. At least one Marauder had offered his blessing. Now, James just had to find out if Remus and Sirius would.

After Remus forcefully removed Sirius's hand from his thigh for the second time, James playfully whispered in his ear, "If you're expecting Padfoot to be discreet, you're going to be quite disappointed from now on."

Remus elbowed him in the ribs. "Git." His smile softened the blow, but James winced oh-so-dramatically, caressing his injured side with a wail in a typical Sirius move. He felt like a kid with a crush, hoping to get a reaction from Sirius, who, as usual, didn't disappoint.

"Moony, you villain! Don't you know James is a gentle soul?" Sirius scolded, pointing an accusatory finger at Remus in a poor attempt at intimidation. He rolled his eyes. _Gentle soul,_ what a prat. When Sirius huddled to his side and rubbed a tender hand across his ribs consolingly, James's breath definitely did _not_ catch. That would have been _pathetic_. Maybe his pulse sped up a bit, but it wasn't his fault that his traitorous body was now inconveniently conditioned to respond to Padfoot's touch. The bastard knew it too. "You might break him, if you're too rough," he said, sickly sweet, and _fuck_ if Moony wasn't sporting a small smirk next to him and making James's face burn.

"Shove off," he muttered, aware his face was likely stained with red.

-

James was almost asleep by the time Remus and Sirius climbed into his bed, his mind occupied by half-dreams that featured singing brooms and Padfoot's hair before fading back into reality in cycles. It took him a minute to realize Sirius and Remus were actually there, settling down on his red duvet, and not figments of his sleep-addled brain. Moony found the color of said duvet particularly distasteful, always needling him about how bright it was. _Positively garish,_ he'd said only a few days ago, sounding uncharacteristically posh. James, Peter, and Sirius had teased him endlessly for it, prancing about with their noses high, extolling the virtues of snobbery and "sensible" color schemes.

James raised an eyebrow as Moony got comfortable, and he scowled in return. "I still hate your duvet, Prongs. If the lights were on, my eyes would likely burn out of my skull." James and Sirius laughed, but he could feel his nervousness creeping back in. He had grown increasingly anxious over the last few hours, wondering when or _if_ they were going to approach him and what they would say. James wasn't exactly sure what he was hoping for. All he knew was that Moony and Padfoot had looked at him like he _meant_ something, and he didn't want that to be over.

After a few seconds, James broke the silence. "So you two are like..together now?" A proud grin broke out on Padfoot's face, and Moony colored a bit.

"Very much so," Sirius crowed. While Remus nodded in agreement, James's eyes wandered to where they were touching hands above the blankets. Moony was so light and careful, just tracing the edge of Sirius's thumb, interrupted by bold caresses from Padfoot in intervals. James was long past wondering if it was odd to be so obsessed with his mates' hands, seeing as "normal" behavior had been abandoned for a while now.

Moony cleared his throat, and James reluctantly tore his eyes away. "What do you think of that?" Remus asked softly, and he became a bit irritated at the tone. He didn't like that Moony was walking on eggshells now, but he could feel Sirius's eyes boring into him expectantly. James realized that Padfoot wanted his blessing, needed his approval. Maybe Remus did too. He rushed to reassure them.

"I think it's great. I'm really happy for you both," he said sincerely, proud of himself for how far he'd come. Yesterday, he was vehemently opposed to this exact development, but now he was glad for it. Remus would take care of Sirius, and James felt a little guilty for ever having doubted him in the first place. "So..this," he gestured to the three of them, "was a one-time thing then?" He didn't like that thought, but he had to ask. James was already too invested in whatever this was. Remus and Sirius were addicting, and he could feel the beginnings of an obsession stirring rapidly. James got this way sometimes, fixated on certain things and people. It had happened with animagus training, with adding every room to the marauder's map. It had happened with Lily. He knew from experience. There was no stopping it. James didn't particularly _want_ to stop it.

"Did you want it to be a one-time thing?" Remus asked carefully. Damn. Moony was so inscrutable sometimes. His face didn't give anything away. James much preferred the blushy Moony in the common room, or the flushed, swearing Remus in bed, the moments when his composure slipped. In times like those, it was easier to figure out what he wanted. James didn't know what the right answer was in a situation like this, and Sirius, for once in his life, was silent. _Fuck it._ He'd come this far. He might as well be honest.

"No," James said plainly, not letting his voice drop to a cowardly whisper, but not exactly meeting anyone's eyes either. His hands fidgeted in his sheets, little golden snitches in a pattern James was suddenly interested in chasing with his fingers. "but I understand that things are different now-"

Sirius interrupted him with a rather thorough snog, and James fell back into the thrill and familiarity of his mouth with ease and slightly embarrassing enthusiasm. There it was, that tingling, that blurring around the edges before tunnel vision sets in. Tempting and dangerous, dangerous _because_ it was tempting. "Things aren't _that_ different, Prongs," Sirius smirked against his lips.

He surrendered to a breathless laugh, looking to Remus for further confirmation, which was freely given with a tender kiss and a hand on his thigh. Even though nothing scandalous had really happened yet, James's mind couldn't help but float back to the rather brilliant suggestion Moony made before Sirius started coming his brains out. "We're in my bed," James mumbled stupidly.

"Catch that, did you?" Remus said in that low, teasing lilt that meant _trouble_ while Padfoot snickered next to him. Didn't Sirius know that the same voice would turn on him soon? James had figured that much out by now. Moony could wipe that smirk straight off his face without much effort. Padfoot was always too smug for his own good. Perhaps James should keep his warnings to himself and let Moony knock Sirius down a peg or two.

He kicked the covers off of his legs as soon as he felt Sirius tug at his shirt. Maybe some smugness could be tolerated, James thought, as long as Padfoot's hands stayed on him. He couldn't really complain about the snogging either. That hot, wet tongue licked into his mouth, and James must have been sleepier than he thought if he was allowing these needy sounds to escape him. At that moment, he didn't care if it was embarrassing, not when it made Sirius kiss him harder, not when Remus pushed him onto his back and touched him.

"There will be rules, Prongs," Remus said firmly, trailing his fingers across James's stomach. Sirius licked the skin below his ear and hummed.

" _You?_ making _rules?_ Who would've thought?" James said dryly before his lips turned up into a grin. Sirius chuckled into the side of his neck and bit down lightly. James squirmed, breathing a bit faster.

"Watch your mouth," Remus scolded, digging his nails into James's skin in warning. A part of him wanted to be cheeky, to provoke Remus, just to see what he would do. Another part, the one he gave in to, told him to shut up and listen to everything Moony said, to do whatever was asked of him. There was a sort of thrill involved with both options, which he would further analyze the next time he wanked.

"First rule: I have to be there. You can snog him whenever you want, but anything more than that is off-limits until I join you." Remus's hand was inching towards his dick, but James concentrated as hard as he could on the rules, knowing that the penalty for breaking one could be catastrophic.

"The same goes for you and him," Sirius said firmly. James knew that Moony and Padfoot were the ones in a relationship and would be doing things without him, but he didn't mind really. He wasn't exactly on the outskirts, considering they were about to give him his third orgasm in less than a day. Honestly, James felt pretty damn lucky. He nodded his head emphatically, and Remus rewarded him with a heavenly rubbing motion through his boxers.

"Second rule: It's just us three. If you get yourself a girl, Prongs, that's fine, but she won't be a part of this."

James scoffed. As if _he_ would share Moony and Padfoot with some random bint! "Of course, Moony." Remus snaked a hand down his boxers. "Is that all?" he squeaked.

"I'm sure I'll think up a few more later," Remus teased, his hand finally gripping James's dick properly. He swore loudly and bucked his hips when Moony gave him a nice, firm stroke. 

"Careful, Prongs. You don't want to wake Wormtail, do you?" Merlin, Padfoot was cruel. And sexy. Sexy and cruel. Fuck, he'd never live it down if Sirius knew he what he was thinking. How was he supposed to be quiet when Remus was getting him off and Sirius was licking and biting him everywhere? "I'll just have to shut you up," Sirius smirked, and for a single, charged moment, James thought that Padfoot was going to shove his cock in his mouth.

After everything that had happened, it shouldn't have been surprising how quickly his body approved of giving Sirius a blow job, but it still took him off guard. Just this morning, he thought he was straight, and now he was startlingly eager to suck dick. What did that make him anyway? Gay? No, he was attracted to girls, very much so. Bisexual, then? There was nothing wrong with that. Sirius was. It still felt strange. Maybe he was just attracted to Sirius and Remus. He'd never really looked twice at any other blokes, but _then again,_ he hadn't realized his attraction to his best mates until earlier today. What if he _had_ noticed other blokes, but just hadn't realized? The whole thing made James's head spin, but his mind quickly went back on track to the more pressing matter at hand. Sirius's cock and how it would feel in his mouth. How would he taste? _Probably good._ James didn't know what he was basing that assertion on, but it seemed fitting nonetheless.

When Padfoot simply snogged him, James's face burned. Sirius shot him a wink, but he was suspiciously flushed. "We'll get there, Prongs," confirming that he knew exactly what James had been thinking. He spoke a bit louder. "Did you catch that, Moony? Prongs wants to suck me off."

James briefly considered taking a dive off of the astronomy tower.

"Really?" Perhaps his temporary mortification was worth it when Remus sounded like that, hungry and intrigued. He pressed his fingers hard against James's hip, driving him further into the mattress as his hand sped up. James didn't get the chance to respond.

"Not while I'm in the dorm, for Merlin's sake!" A horrified voice sounded out from across the room. James was tempted to ignore him and carry on, but Remus was looking at both of them in warning, in case they said something like, "then leave, Wormtail!" James pouted. _He has no faith in us,_ decidedly ignoring the fact that Sirius had probably been planning to say exactly that before Moony intervened.

James briefly feared for Wormtail's life. Every minute that Sirius wasn't preoccupied with kissing or teasing James was spent staring at Moony's lap hungrily. Clearly, Padfoot was committed to letting Remus pound him into James's mattress, and if it weren't for Remus's quelling look, Sirius would have already hexed Peter's mouth shut for daring to get in his way.

They weren't going to stop _now,_ were they? James groaned as evil, evil Moony sent a sickly sweet smile his way and pulled James's boxers back up to cover his hard-on. With a grin, he slipped through the bed curtains, a cheery, "see you in the morning!" thrown over his shoulder. Only Sirius's equally forlorn expression comforted him.

-

James wasn't a morning person, but when Sirius dragged him and Moony into the showers at daybreak with a wicked grin, he didn't have any complaints. After all, the sun was up.

FIN

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was it guys! The fic is complete!
> 
> *I have decided on making it a series, as a way to explore the characters more, but it will probably just be a few short drabbles. It won't be updated regularly or anything like that (so don't get too invested lol)
> 
> Thank you to everyone who left kudos and comments! It encouraged me to finish the fic and made me smile on a few bad days, so I really appreciate it <3


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